The description herein includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Applicators for cosmetics, such as ChapStick®, lip balm, or lip gloss, and applicators for fragrances are small items that are regularly carried by people. However, known applicators are generally single purpose items that lack any additional utility or interesting aspect. Some effort has been made to improve the utility of these applicators. For example, one known lip balm applicator available on the Alibaba Group's website incorporates LED lights at the base, opposite the lip balm end, for use as a flash light. However, these applicators apparently fail to help in low light situations to light the area of application.
Use of cosmetic and fragrance applicators in low light settings, such as night clubs or concerts, can be a difficult task. Efforts have been made to improve the ease of using these applicators in low light settings. As seen in U.S. Pat. No. 8,599,306 issued to Rolston, and U.S. Pat. No. 9,101,193 issued to Liu, bright LED lights have been incorporated into some applicators, which can shine light on the point of application.
All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
However, the above referenced lights are harsh and brighter than necessary. They act as an eyesore and disrupt the fun and exciting atmosphere found in low light settings such as clubs and concerts.
Some other efforts have been made to improve the aesthetic appeal of cosmetic applicators and turn them into fun accessories, while still providing some ambient light when using the applicator. For example, some cases for solid form lip balms (i.e., EOS solid lip balm cases) have been altered to include flashing, multicolored LED lights that shine through the lip balm and the case. However, the LED light and color apparently cannot be controlled by the user or selectively turned on and off, and the lip balm case is not suitable for non-solid cosmetics and fragrances.
Thus, there remains a need for improved cosmetic, fragrance, and other applicators.